Gloss painting - any advice

susanmc

I am decorating my spare room at the moment. Never having done any decorating in my life I managed to emulsion the ceiling on Sunday night and am feeling quite proud. I'm about to start gloss painting the woodwork and door and was looking for some advice on the best way to do it. Should I use a roller on the door? Is there a technique I could use? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Kimberley

Make sure you put undercoat on first unless it's been previously glossed. Paint brushes are best, i normally paint Vertically.

plumb1_2

Make sure you rub it down with a fine sandpaper first,then undercoat it(even if it has been glossed).
The best way to paint it is to take the door off and lay it flat,propped up on pieces of timber if poss.
If it is a panel door i would use a brush,but if a flat door go for a roller.

bennygod

My good lady swears by rollers, we originally painted doors but then she got a gloss roller and it made a much better job of it. I think the reason is that it spreads the paint more evenly and thinly and so you don't get those horrid blobs. Of course if you are going to take the door off as suggested previously this won't be as much of a factor but if you are going to paint in situ I would recommend the roller.

Dora_the_Explorer_5

Rollers are the best bet especially if it's a flush door. If it's pannelled then a brush on the moulded bits and a roller for the flat bits works well. The thing that will make the most difference is giving it a rub down with fine sandpaper before you start as this provides a key for the new coat of paint. If it's already painted the same colour your plan to use I wouldn't bother with an undercoat, just give it a top coat - you may need to top coat it twice as you'll be putting on a much thinner layer of paint with a roller. I've never taken a door off to paint it in my 50 years of decorating and always been happy with that, finish looked good and no adverse comments from anyone (mostly because they knew they would have to do a better job than me to get away with sneering!). For the doorframe I would use a mixture of brush and roller. For skirting boards I usually use a brush but you could use a brush and roller on them. The most important thing with skirting is that you give it rub down with sandpaper and get rid of all the cat/dog/people hairs!
If you think about how you apply nail polish, paint is the same - two thin coats are better than one thick one! Good luck

cheekymole

don't use gloss, use satin, it's a much nicer finish (in my humble opinion)

squiggles

Have you tried the water based gloss,sometimes also known as low odour gloss,i find it much easier to use,its like painting with emulsion and you dont get runs if your paintbrush isnt loaded too full,although it leaves a shiny gloss finish.And the brushes can be washed out with water,easier to clean off skin and if accidents happen and items are splashed a damp cloth will sort it out.

Paul_the_Painter

Personally can't stand the low odour stuff, doesn't stick properly, and a rubbish finish compared with undercoat and gloss/satin, I'm currently using Wickes exterior undercoat and gloss, gives an plastic like finish to the job.

If you've got some fully dried low odour stuff, try sanding it to provide a key for the next coat(ie what you'd have to do in a few years time) the stuff just peels off, yuck